The Pendulum Effect
by Zenog's Lockbox
Summary: Well, I haven't got a clear idea of where the story's going, but so far, I've had Naruto saved from a mob by my OC (Yes, an OC! Don't worry, I'll try not to make him too powerful). As far as my plan right now for it? Eh, Naruto will train, become awesome, and do cool stuff. Beyond that, who knows?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

I was cornered, and my pursuers knew it. But even with only my instrument and a spare bow, I could still beat them. Everyone knows that an animal is most dangerous when cornered.

The strange masked assailants dropped down all around me. I put my violin in its special holder on my back, at the same time pulling out my spare bow.

The first just jumped straight at me. I held out the magically strengthened bow towards his body, and his throat was impaled on the end of it, until I kicked the now corpse off. I turned towards the rest of my enemies, just in time for one of them to finish making a series of symbols with their hands. They shouted something in a language I didn't understand, before I felt a huge wall of wind throw me backwards, and through some of the trees all around us.

I flipped upright, and threw my bow towards the man with outstanding speed and unerring accuracy. The sharpened metal point passed through his skull like a hot knife through butter, pushing him back and sticking him to the tree ten feet behind him. I rushed up and grabbed the bow before turning to the remaining two attackers. The pupil-less eyes of the one unnerved me slightly, but I held my ground.

The taller one drew a massive sword, and rushed me with surprising speed. Still using the bow, I blocked each strike with lightning fast reflexes, before slamming him in the side of the head with the same item. He crumpled to the ground, but I couldn't tell whether he was merely unconscious or in fact dead. The last attacker – and I say that loosely, since he didn't "attack" per se – stared at me, obviously marveling at how I had defeated their entire team with just a violin bow. I exerted all the will I could muster to speak directly into their mind.

_Who are you, and what do you want with me?_

Over the temporary mental link I had established, I felt surprise, shock, and a touch of anger. But I still learned my answer.

* * *

Five years ago, somewhere

* * *

I had no idea where I was. Actually, I had no memory whatsoever. The last thing I could remember was floating in a giant void of energy, and slowly dying within it. Then suddenly, I'm here, in this weird place that was, as far as I could tell, not where I was from. Yes, I wasn't in Kansas anymore for certain. I had been traveling for about a week in this forest, trying to find someone to talk to before I went mad from the unnatural silence. Well, also before I starved to death, but that was more secondary since I somehow knew how to 'live off the land,' however a nice hot meal that someone else made would've been welcome.

Finally, on this, the eleventh or twelfth day of my aimless wandering, I saw the edge of the forest. And I could swear that just beyond the treeline, I could see little wisps of smoke, as if from chimneys. I ran out towards the smoke as fast as I could, and almost over the cliff this town was up against. Of course there would be a cliff. How was I supposed to get down a cliff that was at least a thousand feet high without any climbing equipment? Then, it struck me. A few hundred feet away along the edge, I could see a waterfall. Of course, if there was a waterfall, then it would have to fall somewhere, right? So, carefully making my way along the edge, I crept towards the waterfall, intent on getting to the village below me.

After a few minutes of cautious walking, and a few close calls with an unstable edge, I was at the top of the waterfall. Now that I'm here, though, it's kind of a lot of water, and the plunge pool at the bottom looks really, really tiny. I probably shouldn't even be this close to the edge, but that's something to deal with once I survive the plunge. If I – no, wait, no, that's bad thinking! If I think like that I won't survive!

Steeling myself, I stepped off of the edge, trying to angle so I'd hit the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Even with the mental preparation, I still screamed like a little girl, before hitting the surface of the water and going under.

* * *

300 years ago, somewhere else

* * *

I lay on the soft grass, basking in the sunlight. Life was good. I had great friends, a loving family, and a—

"Poachers!" The cry shot through the tranquility of the lake, disrupting my happy thoughts.

—and a community to defend with my life. I dashed off, knowing that this was my time to make good on my promise of protection.

* * *

700 years ago, somewhere else

* * *

"So then, old friend. It is time, isn't it?"

/Regretfully, I have to say that it is./

"That's okay; we both know that I've been here for far too long."

/It does not change the fact that I will be sad to see you go. The last human who truly believes…/

"You know that's not—"

/It is, actually. You are the only one who has seen us and believes that we are real./

"What about that—"

/Dead. They all died two days ago in a freak accident at the League during a dinner he was holding. I expect that one of the last things you will do this time around is go to their joint funeral./

"And then we'll arrange it so that I disappear, just like old times?"

/Yes, just like old times./

It was a spectacular funeral, you know. It's positively amazing what happens when you have twenty-four people, including the League Champion and Elite Four, all die together, and then their families decide to hold the funerals together. It was amazing, but I wish that it didn't have to happen. They were all so young…

Of course, then I had to do the whole "disappear off the face of the earth" thing AGAIN, and the climb to the top of the mountain was difficult, as usual.

At the top, I took out my special flute, playing a short melody to let my friend know I was here. I climbed the stairs, and, at the top, a soft golden glow enveloped me, before there was blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

Three weeks ago

* * *

I sat up in the middle of the clearing, not knowing where I was. Well, at least this time around I remembered what had happened before. I looked around, and saw that the trees were stupidly large, large enough to build a house in, even. I also saw the curious eyes of animals all around the clearing, wondering where I could have come from. My friend always was one for flamboyancy. I probably appeared in the middle of this clearing in a bright ball of golden-y light that exploded to get me here. Yeah, that sounds like something she'd do. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. No matter—I need to find a shelter… Actually… a house inside a tree… That's not a bad idea.

I set to work as quickly as I could, hands pressed to the tree, exerting as much will as possible to change the structure of the inside of the tree. When I finally felt that the interior was done, I used a little more will to turn the part I was in front of into a door. I opened the door, and was extremely pleased with my work that I had done inside the tree. I stepped back outside, closing the door, and began a search for food.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the forest…

* * *

"Somebody help me!"

"N'bodysh coming to help yeh, yeh little brat. I'm gonna finish the Yon… uh… Yon… eh, can't remember. That famoush guy wiff da fashe on de… de… de thingy."

I screamed in terror again, "Help!"

A masked figure dropped down from the branches of the trees above. "Now, now, now. We can't let you have all the fun, can we?"

"Watsh that? Can't quite hear yeh through de mashk."

"Never mind. Moving on, then." At some unseen signal, more masked figures dropped down all around me, and pulled out some really scary looking sharp things. I yelled one last time.

"Help!"

* * *

Back in the forest

* * *

After about five minutes, I'd found the most amazing apple tree nearby my new home and was enjoying some apples when I heard a cry. Believing I had imagined it, I kept eating. Then, I heard it again, but it was louder. This time, I knew it wasn't my imagination. I turned towards the sound, weighing consequences, before dashing towards it as fast as I could.

I arrived on the edge of the forest in moments, and, from what I could see, not a moment too soon. A small blond boy was sprawled on the ground, knocked unconscious from what I could see, and most certainly was surrounded by some extremely hostile looking figures.

"Now that that demon's out for the count, let's keep 'im that way. Whaddaya say, boys?" The speaker pulled out a kunai and stalked towards the prone form of the boy.

Deciding that I didn't want to see the man follow through with his current train of actions, I chose that moment to act. Putting on my most disarming psychic disguise, I dropped down out of the tree, landing in front of the man. I looked him straight in the eye and said, with a slight touch of malice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The man just laughed and replied, "And what could a kid like you do to me?"

I allowed a small smile to grace my face before I spoke.

"This."

The next thing anyone other than me knew, the man was on the ground, screaming in agony, and clutching at his head. I spoke again. "Now, does anyone else have a problem with this young boy, or shall I get him medical attention?" Failing any replies, I grabbed the boy and disappeared back into the trees.

* * *

"He's what?" The exclamation could be heard for almost a mile from the Hokage Tower.

"Disappeared, sir. A mob attacked him, but somebody came out of Training Ground 44, before defeating the mob leader and disappearing with the boy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, rubbing his head. "Do we have any idea where they might have taken the boy?"

"No, sir. Well, possibly Training Ground 44, but that's kind of ridiculous."

"You are a shinobi. There is no such thing as ridiculous, nor is there a such thing as impossible. There is only less likely possibilities. Assemble a team and search for the boy. We cannot risk losing him to some unknown force."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I will see it done."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

300 years ago

* * *

I awoke in a forest, not knowing where I was, nor how I got there. Then, in a rush, everything returned to me. All that I knew from before, in my past lives. A thought occurred after I had gone through my memories, 'Why always in a forest? I always seem to appear in a forest, no matter how many times this happens.' I went off in a mental soliloquy along those lines for a while, before I began to truly take in my surroundings.

To the left, there was a small stream. To the right, and pretty much everywhere else, trees. The only thing that wasn't a tree nearby was a bush with some beautiful pink flowers on it next to the stream.

Standing, I realized that there was something… different about myself. Looking down at myself, I saw that I was covered in black and white fur, and only about two feet tall. On the back of my… paws, I think… there were strange metallic looking protrusions, and my ears must have been hanging at least halfway down my head. I walked over to the bush, wondering why it was the only non-tree vegetation in the area. I reached out to—

* * *

Three weeks ago

* * *

I sat bolt upright in my bed, ears twitching to locate the danger I had sensed that brought me out of my sleep. Extending my senses, I found that someone had been tracking along the path that I took to my new home. I assumed that they were from the vast cityscape I had seen before and that they were here for the boy. A soft growl escaped my lips; I would not allow that to happen, ever.

I ran downstairs to the door, reaching out to it to seal the outside with bark again. Then, I sat in a chair across from the door, waiting for the worst.

Eventually, I realized that I was in the form that I had worn those many years ago, probably due to the dream, and switched back before anyone (well, the boy, in any case) could see me.

Nonetheless, my wait was not long, for the person appeared outside the door to my home, just as I expected. I was surprised, however, when they began to hold their hands against my concealed door and, to my utter dismay, caused the bark that I had just grown to… un-grow, for lack of a better word. Then, they carefully opened the door, obviously wary of any traps I might have set.

Finally, they noticed me, sitting across from them in the dark chamber. Well, in all honesty, he probably noticed my eyes, since their pale blue glow was the main source of light in the room. We stayed there for a moment, watching each other warily, before I spoke.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" A blank stare was all I got in reply, however, before I realized that I must have been speaking the wrong language. I tried my limited Japanese next, asking the same question. I received an extremely quick fluid reply, but I simply couldn't understand enough of it. The bits I did catch, however, were "search" and "boy." After the man finished talking, I said the two simple words that (unknown to me at the time) would probably change the life of everyone in the village.

"Get out."

I held my hand in front of me, and then focused my energy into the wood around me, causing it to push the unknown man out of my house.

* * *

"Tenzo! Report!"

"I was unsuccessful in finding the boy, Lord Hokage. However, I did find a most interesting figure during my search."

"Continue."

"They were hidden inside one of the trees in the forest. I wouldn't have known they were there if it weren't for the fact that the trail ended there. They seem to have some level of control over something like the Mokuton, as they had grown bark over the door that they had made into the tree, and also caused the tree to force me out after I had explained what I was doing."

"Describe them."

"The person was about six feet tall, wearing a white robe. They had relatively pale skin and long white hair, in a braid behind them, and the most striking eyes. They were pale blue, but they actually glowed from within, sir."

"No… It can't be…" the Hokage murmured to himself. "Tenzo, leave me."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled open a drawer on his desk, before removing a relatively thin file, yellowing and coated with dust from neglect. He opened the folder, pulling out a single picture. The pencil lines and colors were faded with age, but the figure matched Tenzo's description perfectly.

"So… It is as you told us… you have returned…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

Five years ago

* * *

I surfaced in the surprisingly deep plunge pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Climbing out onto relatively dry land, I laid down for a few minutes to catch my breath. Surprisingly, screaming as you fall a thousand feet is harder than it looks. I stood up, shaking off as much water as I could, before walking towards the town.

As I walked into the town, I got some pretty strange looks. But honestly, how would you react if you saw someone who was practically dressed in rags, sopping wet, and covered in scrapes and bruises from walking through a forest for a week and a half? Precisely. Not very well at all.

Gravitating towards the inn in my search for food, I almost stumbled over a small child. I apologized to them, before continuing on my way. A music store caught my eye during my quest, but the need for food called louder than curiosity.

Five minutes later, I was sitting down, eating a wonderful meal of steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes and peas. Just as I began tearing in to the pie, the child I had met before came up to me, and tugged on my… well, for simplicity's sake we'll call it a sleeve, but it was really just another rag. Anyway, they came up and tugged on my sleeve, and I looked down at them. I spoke in a voice hoarse from misuse.

"Yes?"

/Once you are finished, sir, my master would like to talk to you./

"Of course."

It wasn't until the boy had left that I realized he had spoken into my mind. When I did notice, I almost choked on my pie, but I recovered quickly and bolted the rest of my food. Leaving some payment on the bar, I left to locate the kid.

* * *

One week ago

* * *

With a gasp, I wrenched myself out of the flashback. So many things… I thought I had remembered everything that had already happened, but apparently not. I gazed at the still-sleeping boy in the bed I had made for him. I reached out towards him, still curious as to why he hadn't woken up. I laid my hand against his forehead, before pushing my consciousness into the boy.

* * *

Inside Naruto's mind.

* * *

I stood inside a corridor, with two doors in it, one on each wall; the first, dark, ominous, and forbidding; the second, bright, cheery, and welcoming. Preferring to see the good before the bad, I tried to open the door, but it was locked. Undeterred, I just picked the lock and walked in. What I saw on the other side was an extreme surprise.

Forests stretched in every direction, with huge trees and insanely large blades of grass. The trees were almost so tall as to lose the tops in the distance, and the grass must have been three times my height. Most astonishing of all, though, was a figure that I had not seen for years, looking just as they had when I last saw them.

"Kurama? Is that really you?"

"WHO ARE YOU, MORTAL, AND WHY DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?"

Obviously, somebody had gotten a superiority complex in the past three hundred years.

"I'm hurt that you don't recognize me, Kurama. I played games with you almost every day when we were young. Have you forgotten your good friend Xi?"

"WH-WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"How could you forget your good friend Xi, Kurama? It may have been a while since we evolved and I disappeared, but we were still such great friends."

"I– I– I DON'T BELIEVE IT! IT REALLY IS YOU!"

"Yes, it really is me. So, can you make me bigger or you smaller so that your voice doesn't sound so loud?"

(AN: I just couldn't stand writing in all caps anymore…)

There was a sudden sense of distortion in the soul room, before I was correctly proportioned to everything. I shook my head a little to clear it, before talking to my old friend.

"So, what on earth are you doing inside this child?"

"It was a misunderstanding. People thought I was a demon, and used some ability to hold me inside their bodies and use my power at will. Almost like those dreadful contraptions from so long ago, but worse. I never got out, and the one time I did, I was put under a strong hypnosis and forced to attack the village this boy lives in."

"I see. I'll go check on him now, then. He was attacked by a mob two weeks ago and hasn't woken up yet. I assume his healing speed is due largely to you?"

"Yes, I do what I can."

"Alright, now to see the boy. Umm… where's the door?"

"Right behind you," was my old friend's chuckled reply.

I turned and left Kurama's soul room, before crossing the hallway to the dark doorway. To think that a mere child had had such a life to make their soul room look like this just from the outside… it was positively horrifying.

* * *

Two weeks ago

* * *

"Tenzo, report."

"All teams sent to retrieve the boy have been incapacitated and returned to the main gate of Training Ground 44."

A soft sigh escaped the lips of the Sandaime Hokage. "Fine. All teams still remaining are to be withdrawn from the search and reassigned to normal duty."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Permission granted."

"Sir, I believe you're hiding something about the target. I don't mean Naruto, but that man that is protecting him. With all due respect, sir, if we are to eventually resume searches, it would be best if the teams sent to search knew everything we can about the target so that we may prepare."

Another soft sigh. "I can't tell you now, but in due time you will know more about him. All I can tell you is that the village has encountered him before, yet later."

"I don't understand, sir."

"You will, eventually. Dismissed."

Without another word, Tenzo disappeared from the office. Hiruzen buried his head in his hands, with a mutter of, "I'm getting too old for this."

* * *

Back in Naruto's mind, one week ago

* * *

As I opened the door, I was hit with a blast of cold air and rain, but I pushed forward through it to locate the boy's consciousness.

I found myself surrounded by a hurricane over a barren landscape in the boy's soul room, but it didn't seem to work like a normal storm. It seemed to be pushing everything away from the center, instead of spinning around it. I forged onwards through the increasing winds towards where I assumed the boy would be.

Finally, I pushed through a veritable wall of wind to fall into the eye of the storm. I stood up; looking at the small oasis of peace, I was again astounded by what there was.

A fortress rose up into the sky directly in the middle of the storm, and it was shut up tighter than… something shut up really tight. It had such a dark vibe to it that I truly wondered if this was where the boy's subconscious lived… but if it was, I wondered what horrors had happened to him to cause it. I stepped up to the main gate, and as I approached, it opened. Then, I entered the fortress of the boy's mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

Naruto's mind, one week ago

* * *

As soon as I had entered, the doors slammed shut behind me, before fusing into a solid wall of stone, trapping me. I assumed that there would only be one path to the boy's inner self, but I was proven wrong. Three doorways were before me, each one less inviting than the last. As the intrepid explorer that I once was, I opened the least inviting door and followed the path through progressively dark and gloomy paths. One could feel the slight downward slant of all the halls, but it made no sense until I was at a point I knew to be below the fortress: the sewers.

Well, sewer doesn't really do them justice. It was more of a giant storm drain system than anything else. I stepped out of the hallway onto a ledge next to the water channel and followed it along to the left. The system eventually opened up to a large room with huge bars running vertically, floor to ceiling, through the middle. And there, in the exact center of the room, on a small platform raised above the water, was the boy. I stepped out into the room and across to the boy. As I approached I could hear quiet sobbing. I reached out to the boy, and began to shake him to get his attention.

"Hello? Are you all right?"

The sobbing figure stopped, before turning over and, in a voice as soft as a whisper, replied, "You don't want hurt me?"

This stirred up my anger, but I repressed it before I could involuntarily do any lasting damage in the boy's mind. "No, I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help you, but first you need to wake up."

"I'm asleep?"

"Kind of. I'll explain it to you after you wake up. Follow me."

I led the boy up and out of the fortress, before continuing back across the barren plains outside to the soul door. I stepped into the corridor, and the boy came with me. I brought him to the door that led out of his mind, and we walked out through it together into my house.

* * *

Xi's tree house

* * *

The boy suddenly shot up out of the bed, promptly bumping his head into my hand. Then, in a voice that was slightly hoarse from disuse over the past two weeks, the boy spoke to me.

"Moshimoshi? Daremoga aru nodeshou ka?"

Well. That would certainly complicate things. They just had to speak Japanese—the one language I never learned to speak fluently—wherever we were. I called on my training from last time, and spoke telepathically to the boy.

/I'm sorry, I can't speak Japanese. I'm speaking directly into your mind right now, so you can understand me. Just think your replies to me and I will understand./

(AN: For simplicity's sake, I'm going to write their mind conversations in quotation marks. However, Xi will not be actually speaking until he learns Japanese fluently… eventually.)

"Umm… Who are you, and why can't I see you?"

"I'm Xi, the person from your dream. I'm sorry that you can't see; my eyes are more accustomed to low-light environments than yours, so I don't need it to be very bright to see."

"…What?" came the confused reply.

"I can see in the dark better than you."

"Oh! Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"I like fancy words."

"Right… So can you teach me how to be a ninja? You can talk into my head and see in the dark, so you must be able to do other cool stuff too, right? Could you teach me? Please?"

The boy then proceeded to make the dreaded "cutsie eyes of doom" at me, which would have been much more effective, I'm sure, if he had even been facing my direction. As it was, he was making said face at the wall directly opposite me, so it had little effect other than to make me chuckle.

"Yes, I will teach you. Even if you hadn't made that face, I would have taught you. You need to be able to defend yourself the next time something like that happens."

The boy proceeded to jump into the air cheering, before slipping on the rug and knocking himself unconscious in the process. 'Kids these days… they never can stay quiet'

* * *

Uchiha Compound

* * *

A dark haired boy with black eyes sneezed, before hurrying after his older brother to look for footprints.

"Itachi-aniki! Wait for me!"

* * *

Hokage's office

* * *

Danzo Shimura, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato (AN: I'll explain later), rubbed his forehead in an attempt to stall the migraine he was developing.

"So, let me get this straight. A mob attacked Naruto, and then a figure came in and carted him off—"

"Yes, milord."

"I wasn't finished talking, Neko-san. So, this figure has now been successful in repelling and incapacitating multiple teams of ANBU and is living in the Forest with the boy?"

"That would be what happened, Hokage-sama."

"That's just wonderful. Kaji! Tenzo! Get in here this instant!"

Two figures wearing masks—one with a cat mask with red and green markings, and one with a plain mask with the kanji for "fire" on it—appeared in the middle of the room next to Neko.

"Yes, Danzo?"

Danzo frowned at this show of disrespect. "Kaji, while you wear the mask, I am your superior, not your friend from the Academy."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I apologize for my rude behavior."

"It's fine, just don't do it again. Now, the reason I called you here: Kaji, I would like to know why, as commander of the village's ANBU forces, you have withdrawn from an effort to retrieve the Kyuubi's container. I would also like to know why you, Tenzo, as Kaji's right-hand man, why you did not advise him against it. The Kyuubi is a great asset to the village and cannot be lost to any unknown forces. Withdrawing from the search is borderline treason. Give me one reason why I shouldn't exile you both and mark you as missing-nin or have you executed."

"Forty-two," came the soft reply of Kaji.

"What?"

"Forty-two, sir. It's the number of teams that we have sent since the container disappeared; one every four hours. It's also the number of teams that have been incapacitated and delivered to the edge of the Forest by one single person. We are clearly outmatched in this mission, and I would prefer not to lose any more men in this venture. They are all in some sort of coma and have not woken up yet. Not one of them."

"I see. So you mean to tell me that this person has single-handedly defeated almost two hundred ANBU on their own, and our village knows nothing of them?"

"Yes and no, sir. Yes, they have defeated two hundred ANBU, but the village does know who they are, even if they don't know who we are."

"Elaborate."

Kaji reached into one of the pockets on his flak jacket, and pulled out a file, handing it to Danzo. He opened the file, before reading it slowly, with his face showing more shock as he went further down the page.

"I see. You and Tenzo are dismissed."

After they had left, he turned to the remaining ANBU in the room. "You, however, Neko-san, need to step up the training of the troops. If one person can defeat that many ANBU, think on how that reflects on your training regimen. Dismissed."

The Godaime Hokage buried his head in his hands, muttering to himself, "I understand why Hiruzen-senpai retired… I'm getting too old for this."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

One week ago

* * *

"So, sensei, what are you going to teach me first? How to shoot lightning? Teleportation? Seal-making? C'mon, tell me, tell me, tell me!" An enthusiastic young boy was sitting down on a tree stump in a clearing, barely keeping still, while an androgynous figure dressed in white stood in front of him.

"No, Naruto, I will be teaching you something very different indeed. I shall teach you…" The figure drew out the silence. "…how to make and play a musical instrument."

The boy on the stump was obviously not pleased with this answer. "Music? You're going to teach me music? How will that help me?" the boy practically shouted at the figure.

In reply, the figure handed the boy a leaf off the ground, and took out a violin. They began to play a haunting melody on it, and all was ordinary until the sound of a second violin joined it. Then, all hell started to break loose.

The wind began to swirl around the clearing, picking up leaves and other debris as it went, whipping it all into a tornado around the two.

Then, a third violin began to play, and rain began falling, though none of it hit the two, instead being sucked into the vortex.

A fourth, and fire sprang from the earth, turning it into a firestorm.

A fifth and final violin joined the chaos, and the fire all flew towards the boy.

Then, all was silent in the clearing again. Not a single thing outside of it was even so much as charred, nor was anything inside it save for the ring where it had all been traveling and the leaf in the boy's hand. Both were now ashes.

The boy's jaw dropped in astonishment. "I… I… I…"

'Wow, even his thoughts are stuttering. He must be rather impressed.' (AN: Remember, it's all telepathic at this point) Finally, though, Naruto managed to form a coherent thought.

"That was AWESOME! I think I might want to learn to do that!"

"Good. What instrument will you play?"

Naruto, after many long moments of careful consideration (meaning none at all), exclaimed, "The flute! I'll learn it, and I'll be awesome, and I'll be able to blow stuff up with music, and that's awesome, and that means I'm awesome, and—"

A quick slap to the face silenced Naruto before the figure continued. "Good. Now that we've decided on that, I'll get you some wood for it. While I'm gone, don't get eaten by the other inhabitants of this forest, okay?"

* * *

Xi's point of view

* * *

As I walked away from the clearing with Naruto in it, I whispered to one of the birds sitting outside of it. "Spread the word. Act like you're trying to kill him, but don't. Just keep him on his toes while I'm gone, and stop right before I arrive."

The bird nodded and flew off, before I continued on my way to get the wood for a flute, chuckling at the horrors that awaited Naruto in my absence.

* * *

Naruto's point of view

* * *

As soon as sensei had left the clearing, it seemed like the entire forest was trying to attack me. Huge birds were dive-bombing me, though due to my practice dodging rotten food and cooking utensils I could avoid them easily. The issue wasn't even the wolves, snakes, giant lizards, and other ground-based foes that were after me.

No, the problem was the trees.

The trees moved and blocked all escape routes with branches and roots, leaving me trapped in there with all the animals. The branches even moved to hit me, but since I couldn't see muscles tensing I couldn't predict where they would go. The trees ended up giving me the biggest beating out of all there was in the clearing, before sensei showed up.

Right before he showed up, the trees unblocked the pathways, and my attackers all dispersed into the forest. As soon as he saw me all bruised and beaten in the middle of the clearing, he broke out laughing.

"You look like somebody tried to eat you and ran away afterward! How did that happen in the five minutes I was gone? I would've heard that from where I was right over there."

He then gestured to another clearing no more than thirty feet away with a small cherry tree growing in the center, extremely out of place amidst the giants we stood amongst. Then, he spoke again, while extending a piece of perfectly straight cherry wood to me. "Here. You will make your flute out of this, and I will teach you how to use it afterward."

As the man walked back towards the house, I said to him, "So, how exactly do I make a flute?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it out," was the nonchalant—and extremely unhelpful—reply. He disappeared into the forest again before I could throw something at him, so I sat; trying to figure out how to make the piece of wood I had into a flute.

Yeah, right.

* * *

Undisclosed location

* * *

Two yellow eyes opened in the darkness.

"So… He has returned to this troubled land… Ku ku ku… I'll enjoy this…"

* * *

Undisclosed location

* * *

A man glanced at a young boy next to him with a questioning look. The boy nodded, before holding out a violin to the man. The man nodded in return while taking the violin, and then turned to look out over the sea towards the sun.

'I'm glad to have you back, brother.'


	7. Chapter 7 Onwards

Chapter 7

* * *

A man strode out onto a platform in the center of a tall, cylindrical room, before calling out a single word, "Root!"

Instantly, hundreds of masked faces surrounded him, looking up expectantly.

"It has come to my attention that the Kyuubi's jinchuriki has been kidnapped and is currently being held in Training Ground 44. Now is an opportune moment to obtain the Kyuubi's power, as there is only one person guarding him.

"You four," the man pointed to a Hyuuga, an operative from Suna, a swordsman, and one taijutsu specialist, "are to go and find the jinchuriki, kill the watcher, and bring the jinchuriki back to me. Go."

The four assigned disappeared again, and with a short, "Dismissed," from the man, everyone else did as well.

"Let's see how this person deals with my Root instead of the normal ANBU…"

* * *

The Forest of Death

* * *

I was out gathering food when I felt it. As if in response, the entire forest around me went silent as well, allowing me to pinpoint the incoming danger with ease. I stepped back about a foot, and a blast of pressurized air whizzed past right in front of me, where my head had been. I would've called out to taunt my attacker, but I knew it was pointless, as everyone spoke Japanese here.

I continued walking calmly with the food past the trench dug by the blast, and waited for another attack to come. My attacker, obviously not one to disappoint, began firing blast after blast of pressurized air at me, all of which I dodged with ease. That was the problem with air-based attacks; sure, they were great at cutting through things, but the power required to keep them in shape made them slow and cumbersome in comparison to a flamethrower. Fire just needed power to burn, not to stay in any given shape. The more power put into it, the hotter the flame; the hotter the flame, the quicker it consumed the oxygen around it; the quicker the oxygen was consumed the quicker it expanded.

A figure dropping down in front of me brought me out of my internal soliloquy for long enough to dismiss them as a low-level threat, before continuing on towards my house, now dodging two sets of attacks. When concentrated beams of aura started flying at me, I placed the food by the base of a tree, called to the inhabitants to protect it, and began to run away.

Sure, big, cumbersome attacks like the massive sword the one had or the air blasts from the other were easy enough to dodge because I could sense them coming. But aura, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. It is basically just life-force, and it's difficult to sense the change in the flow of life-force when you're in a forest as old as this one. So instead I just entrusted my safety to insane speeds and unpredictable patterns.

Eventually, though, I was forced to stop due to getting trapped in a box canyon deep in the forest. The only way out was straight back through my attackers, but that was an option that was just right out. The only other way out would be straight up and out over the top of the walls, and that was just impossible while keeping high speeds and dodging as well. As I went over my options, I recalled the day that I received the items that would spell these people's destruction

* * *

Flashback, eight days ago

* * *

I sat next to the bed of the boy I had rescued from the mob; he still hadn't woken up since then. I was going to attempt to do a mind dive to see what had happened to his psyche, when I heard a melody that I hadn't heard for a long, long time. As I stepped outside, in a flash of light, a wooden box appeared in the center of the clearing. I opened it, just for confirmation, before closing it with a smile. Everything was there, even the holsters and spare. It was like a dream come true, or finding a long-lost friend.

'Now… Now we can have fun here…'

* * *

End flashback

* * *

I was cornered, and my pursuers knew it. But even with only my instrument and a spare bow, I could still beat them. Everyone knows that an animal is most dangerous when cornered.

The strange masked assailants dropped down all around me. I pulled out my spare bow, waiting for the right moment to attack. Then, an opportunity presented itself

The first just jumped straight at me. I held out the magically strengthened bow towards his body, and his throat was impaled on the end of it, until I kicked the now corpse off. I turned towards the rest of my enemies, just in time for one of them to finish making a series of symbols with their hands. They shouted something in Japanese—really hating myself for not learning it yet—that I didn't understand, before I felt a huge wall of wind throw me backwards, and through some of the trees all around us.

I flipped upright, and threw my bow towards the man with outstanding speed and unerring accuracy. The sharpened metal point passed through his skull like a hot knife through butter, pushing him back and sticking him to the tree ten feet behind him. I rushed up and grabbed the bow before turning to the remaining two attackers. The pupil-less eyes of the one unnerved me slightly, but I held my ground.

The taller one drew a massive sword, and rushed me with surprising speed. Still using the bow, I blocked each strike with lightning fast reflexes, before slamming him in the side of the head with the same item. He crumpled to the ground, but I couldn't tell whether he was merely unconscious or in fact dead. The last attacker—and I say that loosely, since he didn't "attack" per se—stared at me, obviously marveling at how I had defeated their entire team with just a violin bow. I exerted all the will I could muster to establish a mental link so that I could speak directly into their mind. A side effect of this level of mental link, though, was that I could see their thoughts, no matter how much I didn't want to.

_Who are you, and what do you want with me?_

Over the temporary mental link I had established, I felt surprise, shock, and a touch of anger. But I still learned my answer.

The boy. They were after the boy, just like everyone else that came to this forsaken forest other than the crazy woman who liked snakes too much for her own good. I felt anger rising inside myself, before I ripped the man's mind to shreds.

Of course, not before pulling out all the knowledge of Japanese that they had. There's more than one way to learn a language.

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

"Hello, Sir Aaron. It's always a pleasure to see you."

"No, milord, now is a decidedly bad time to see me, if just because of my news that I bring."

"Wonderful," came the exasperated reply. "Do go on."

"The Traveler has returned, and people know who he is and are trying to kill him. In the past three weeks since his return, the Traveler has had groups attempt to kill or capture him on forty-three separate occasions."

A sigh came from the being, before the order of, "Dismissed," allowed the ethereal man to disperse.

* * *

Somewhere in Training Ground 44

* * *

I was walking back to get the food I had left by the tree, when I sensed a group of four people approaching me at speed. I picked up the food, before resuming my walk towards my new home that had been interrupted by the last group. I had made it to the clearing where I had shown Naruto why he would be learning music before they caught up to me.

I stood in the center of the clearing as the group surrounded me while staying hidden in the trees. Five minutes passed in a way similar to a standoff, with neither of us doing anything, before I spoke.

"So, how long are we just going to stand here before you try to kill me, talk to me, or kidnap the boy?"

I felt mild surprise from all four that I had noticed them, before the one directly in front of me jumped down and walked up to me. I held up a hand, before calling out, "And the other three. I want all of you down here, front and center!" With obvious reluctance, the aforementioned 'other three' dropped down from the trees. However, they didn't come in front of me, instead keeping the tactical advantage of having me surrounded.

"Hello. The Hokage wishes to speak to you and the boy. We are here to escort you."

After a derisive snort, I replied, "I'm sure you do. And the group that came just before you just decided to kill me instead of following orders? They attacked me, unprovoked, and were also after the boy. What proof is there that you won't do the same?"

"We apologize, but there is nothing we can do to quell those fears. However, we are just here to escort you to the Hokage to talk to him. It's a matter concerning the boy under your protection, so it would probably be prudent to bring him as well."

After a few moments' deliberation, I spoke again to them. "Fine. I will come with you this once, but let me go and get Naruto first."

Before any protests could come up, I dashed off to get Naruto for a meeting with this 'Hokage,' the person apparently in charge of the vast city that I had seen.

* * *

Hokage Tower

* * *

Most people who worked in the Hokage Tower were relatively used to strange-looking people walking in the door, usually mission clients and the like. None, however, could feel anything but confusion—and shock for a few—at seeing a man dressed in brilliantly white robes walking alongside the village's jinchuriki. Especially when the peculiar air was augmented by the presence of a full team of Konoha ANBU escorting the pair to the Hokage's office.

As they disappeared up the stairs, one of the more elderly shinobi on duty in the Tower leaned over to one of the other seniors in the room with a whispered question: "Was that Xi?"

The odd group walked into the Hokage's office, before the four escorts vanished to parts unknown. The man behind the desk gestured towards two chairs, inviting the two to sit. Once they had, he finally said something.

"Mmm… time has certainly treated you better than it has me."

After a blink of confusion, Xi replied, "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

Cursing his slip-up, Danzo Shimura quickly recovered, "Sorry, you look almost exactly like someone I knew from a while back. It was an easy mistake."

After a moment's silence, the Hokage continued speaking. "Moving on. Now, I understand that you saved young Naruto here from a mob three weeks ago?"

"Yes, I did. He has been quite the interesting person to be around. Ever since he finally woke up a week ago I don't think that he's ever stopped running around except to work on his flute."

"Flute?"

"I showed him a cool technique and he wants me to teach it to him."

"Ah, I see. Conveniently, that leads into what I actually wanted to talk to you about."

The man reached into a drawer in the desk, before pulling out some papers and handing them to Xi. After a moment scanning the forms, he looked back up in mild surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Well, with two stipulations."

"Which are?" prompted the white-robed man.

"An ANBU is assigned to you at all times to keep watch over the boy." Opening the filing cabinet behind him, Danzo pulled out a folder heavy with dust before handing that to Xi as well. "That folder would contain information on the reason why we want the guard. The other is that the boy will join the Academy and become a ninja once he is old enough."

Another few moments' scanning the documents from the folder garnered a nod from the large man, before he said, "I agree. I just sign these forms, right?"

"Precisely."

Two signatures later, another masked man appeared in the room, bowing to Danzo. Danzo proceeded to ask him for his recommendation on whom to assign to them.

"Inu, sir, and possibly Hisame as well."

"Get them." Seconds later, the two ANBU appeared to escort the strange duo back to the Forest of Death.

* * *

Back in the Forest

* * *

"So, I don't suppose I might learn your real names instead of just Inu and Hikami?"

"No."

"Ya sure?"

"Yes."

"So that means you will tell me?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

A chuckle from up among the branches brought Naruto out of his relentless grilling of the ANBU for names. "Naruto, don't even try. Sneaky secretive types like them won't give in to most forms of torture, and while tortuous, your constant nagging isn't quite as horrible as some of the other things I'm sure they've been through."

"Yes sensei," cam the dejected reply of the boy, eliciting another chuckle from Xi, an action that the two guards mirrored.

"Go practice flute or something, Naruto."

"Okay!" The blond suddenly disappeared to find his instrument to figure out a new song that he'd been working on.

"Now that I've managed to shut him up, if only temporarily, would either of you like a place to take residence in for your time here?"

After an affirmative nod from both, Xi followed up with a knowing smile and, "One bed, or bunk beds?"

Though you couldn't see it due to the masks, both of the ANBU were blushing up a storm. The man got control of himself enough to answer first. "One bed should be fine." One could almost _hear_ the perverted smile under the mask.

The other ANBU slapped her male coworker in the back of the head, before saying, "For that statement, two beds, in separate rooms." A pitiful moan came from the man. "No, you lost your chance, Inu."

"Fine…"

Shaking his head and suppressing a small chuckle at the antics of the two, Xi leaned against the tree behind him, discretely manipulating it into another house for the two eccentric ninja.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere

* * *

"Are you sure of this?"

"Positive, my leader. There is no way that it is not him."

"Very well. Keep watching, and when the time is right, capture him and bring him to me."

"Yes, milord."

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

Three months later

* * *

"Sensei?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"We're being followed."

"It took you this long to figure that out? That person has been stalking you for at least the past two weeks once they'd worked up the courage to come in here."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell you because I was using it as a test of your situational awareness."

"My what?"

"Situational awareness. It means how well you can sense your surroundings."

"Oh."

I turned towards the tall tree that the person was hiding among the branches of, before calling out, "It's okay, we know you're there. You can come out now." A small "Eep!" and a quick dash later, I had caught the strange girl as she fell from the tree. I saw that her eyes were the same creepy pupil-less eyes that that one person who had attacked me had.

I suppressed a shudder at that particular memory, before setting the girl down and inquiring, "Why were you following us?"

She said nothing, but blushed slightly and looked over at Naruto, so I could deduce the reason quite easily.

"I see. What is your name?"

"Hinata Hyuuga," was stuttered out by the small girl, causing my eyes to widen. This girl was a Hyuuga? And not just any Hyuuga, but the clan heir as well? I covered my shock quickly, and asked her another question.

"Why are you here all alone? I would've thought that your father would have guards with you."

"I hid from them. They scare me."

I nodded in understanding; those eyes were definitely freaky. "Alright, come with us and have some lunch, I'm sure you're hungry."

With a nod in the affirmative from the young girl, we set off back to the house.

* * *

Four months later

* * *

"Otouto, we have located your daughter."

A soft sigh of relief for his daughter escaped the Hyuuga Clan head's lips before he composed himself. "Well done. I was concerned that those diplomats from Kumo had tried to take her away. We do know that Kumo has been after the Byakugan for quite some time now. It would not do to let it fall into their hands at this time. Now, where has she been these past four months?"

The de facto head of the branch family worked a finger below the neckline of his shirt in nervousness before replying, "Err, the Forest of Death, otouto."

Hiashi's eyes widened, before he narrowed them at his brother in the patented "Hyuuga Death Glare," which caused Hizashi to begin sweating. "And I assume that she is still alive, otherwise you would not be here giving me this news, correct?"

A new voice entered the conversation. "Yes Hiashi-kun, she is alive and well, and training with an old family friend."

The brothers turned towards the door to find a figure hunched over with age leaning on a walking stick. Her face was heavily lined, and her hair so far past graying that it was a blinding white, but her Byakugan eyes twinkled with amusement as she smiled.

Hiashi blinked once in surprise, before speaking. "Honoka-san, you knew of this?"

The old woman outright laughed at that statement, before replying mirthfully, "Know? Of course I knew! I've known that this would happen ever since I met my friend Xi over ninety years ago! He even told me the date she would disappear! I may be old, but my memory hasn't failed me yet."

Hizashi spoke this time. "Honoka-san… what on earth are you talking about?"

Honoka sighed in mock frustration before replying as she began to leave the room, "Don't worry about Hinata, she's in good hands. She also happens to be living with that nice young Uzumaki boy, Naruto." She glanced back over her shoulder at the two brothers with a smirk. "Hinata seems to have taken quite the liking to him. Too bad nobody knows who his parents are, they might be able to end up getting together eventually if his parents were anyone important."

She gave a rather Wicked Witch-esque cackle as she vanished in a burst of wind, a technique she… learned… from an old friend in Suna.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in Suna

* * *

"I get the feeling that somebody has ripped off one of my techniques just now…"

"Oh, be quiet, Chiyo-chan. You know that the only one who would even dare would be me," came the joking reply of her brother.

Chiyo subsequently punched him in the shoulder, unintentionally sending him through a wall in the process. "Shut up, Ebizou."

* * *

Five months later

* * *

"Well, your training with me is done for now, now go on out to the Academy and be the best that there is! Otherwise, I'll feed you to Chukwubuikem, 'kay?"

"But Chuck-san is nice to us, sensei!"

"Yeah, and he helps us with fishing too!"

"Fine, I won't feed you to Chukwubuikem—" the two children cheered at this statement and ran off towards the gate. "…But I will find something in this forest that you're not friends with to feed you to!" called the aforementioned "sensei" after the two.

Xi watched the retreating forms two friends as they ran off towards the Academy. He raised a hand and made a 'come over here' motion to the empty air behind him. A figure wearing a mask bearing the kanji for 'storm' on it appeared behind him.

"They're going to absolutely hate it, won't they?"

"Most definitely, Xi-san."

"Good…"

* * *

Three minutes and seventeen seconds later, at the Academy

* * *

Naruto sat at the back of the exceptionally noisy classroom, staring out the window. "I'm so bored! When will something interesting happen?"

The girl on his left nudged him, before saying, "Hush, Naruto, class hasn't even started yet. I'm sure that once our sensei shows up—"

As if on cue, a person walked into the classroom and stood at the front, trying in vain to get the class to be quiet. Finally, he lost it and made a single handsign before his head swelled to a spatially impossible size and he shouted, "SHUT UP AND LISTEN!"

Needless to say, everyone was quiet rather quickly after that, and once they were, the man spoke again. "Thank you. Now, your sensei has ended up breaking both of her arms, so she could not show up to teach, and since I would be taking over from her later in the year, it has been decided that I will be your permanent teacher. So hello class, I'm Iruka."

* * *

Seventeen months and eighteen hours later

* * *

Xi suddenly sat up from his resting place atop the trees. "Something is very, very wrong…"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Uchiha Compound

* * *

Itachi Uchiha stood over the almost-corpse of an almost-dead Shisui, tears flowing freely from his eyes for the first time since he had become a member of the ANBU. "Shisui, why? You didn't have to come for the children, too."

"I know, Itachi. I couldn't control myself. It was almost as if someone had used my own mind-control techniques on me. I couldn't break free. But thank—" here, he stopped to cough up some blood "—thank you for stopping me. I was fighting it as hard as I could, but I just couldn't stop. It sent me after the children… I would have killed them… Your parents, too… Thank you for stopping me before I could get to them. You always—" more coughing up of blood "—always were my favorite nephew. Thank you, Itachi…"

And with that, Shisui Uchiha was no more, leaving Itachi alone in the night to cry over the corpses of his fallen kinsmen.

* * *

Three days later

* * *

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering how long it would take for one of you to show up in here."

Shino Aburame whirled around to find the source of the voice behind him; he was disturbed by its presence. Now, let it be known that the fact that there was someone there did not disturb him, but the fact that his hive, now buzzing in response to his agitation, had not detected the speaker beforehand. Even more disturbing was—

"Oi, bug boy! I'm not even over there; I'm behind you."

Shino whirled again, still to find nobody there.

"Nope, try again."

The voice came from his right this time, but as before, when he turned to face the source, nobody was there to be found.

"Alright, that was your third try, so we'll do this a different way. Turn ninety… ninety-seven, we'll say, degrees to your left, then tilt your head back about twenty-five degrees."

Following the voice's instructions, Shino turned, before looking up into the tree he was facing. There, much to his surprise, a man garbed completely in white stood on the lowest branch, leaning against the trunk nonchalantly. The white-clad figure jumped down, before handing Shino a small box.

"Here. I think you were looking for this, right? Also, give your father the note inside; I need to talk to him about your… education."

* * *

Graduation Day, at the Academy

* * *

"Alright, Naruto, I'm going to need you to perform the three Academy jutsu. First, let's see your henge."

"Yes sir, Iruka-sensei, sir!"

Naruto proceeded to then not only transform into a perfect replica of Iruka himself, but he also did so without any handsigns at all.

"Well, not exactly an original thing to transform into, but well done anyway. Now, let's see your kawarami."

Naruto rushed through the handsigns for the kawarami before Iruka suddenly found himself on the floor facing the desk he was just sitting at, with Naruto henged as him, looking down disapprovingly. Naruto then shook his head and said, in a perfect imitation of Iruka's voice, "I'm sorry Iruka, but you show insufficient mastery of the bunshin technique. I cannot pass you. You may leave now."

It was only at this point that Iruka noticed the half-dead looking clone of himself laying on the ground next to him. When he looked back to Naruto, he saw no less than seventeen more clones of himself, looking perfectly fine and very much alive, conversing with Naruto while eating a large banquet. One of the clones said to Naruto, or at least the one he assumed to be Naruto, "This is great cooking Iruka! Who taught you?"

The reply was just as strange, especially to the real Iruka sitting on the ground outside of the entire conversation. "Oh, you know Iruka. It was that person I met on that diplomatic mission to Kumo."

A third clone joined in with, "Oh yeah! I remember them Iruka! It was that kind old lady who lived at the Uchiha outpost, right? What was her name? Umm…"

Mizuki, who Iruka hadn't even noticed was sitting at the table with them, inquired, "Nekobaa?"

Clone three said, "Yeah Nekobaa!"

Iruka quickly interrupted the conversation before it got any stranger. "Alright, Naruto, you obviously are able to perform all of the Academy jutsu adequately, you pass."

Suddenly, the table and all the clones vanished, leaving Mizuki and "Iruka" sitting at the desk again. Mizuki then proceeded to jump up on to the desk dancing while shouting that he passed, before subsequently dropping the henge and revealing himself to be Naruto. Then, the genjutsu on the real Mizuki dropped, revealing that the secondary examiner was in a daze, mouth hanging open, astonished by 'the Kyuubi brat's mastery of the jutsu.

Mizuki shook himself out of it, before handing Naruto his new hitai-ate and saying, "Well done, Naruto. Report to room 301 in a week for team assignments."

Naruto thanked him, before rushing out the door to go talk to his friends about it.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Office

* * *

"So, does anyone have any changes to suggest to the team placements?"

One black-cloaked figure in the back of the room raised his hand. "Yes, Danzo-sama, I would. Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted, Hayashi-san."

"Alright, frankly, it's a bad idea to have the Uchiha and Uzumaki on the same team; they hate each other's guts. I actually would suggest switching him with Kiba Inuzuka on our current Team Ten, since they have similar abilities, and Kiba is less likely to rip Sasuke's head off in a spar. And yes, I mean that literally, they hate each other that much. I'm pretty sure it started over some 'yo mamma' joke, and just got worse from there."

The unanimous reply of all other potential instructors was a deafening silence, before the figure in black suddenly spoke up again.

"Oh yeah! I'd also like to take over the training of Team 10 if the changes are made, because I would already know and have been training them for quite a while already. They already work great as a team, so why not change it to be my way?"

Danzo shook himself from the thought of an intense hatred over a 'yo mamma' joke for long enough to reply in the affirmative to the figure, before absentmindedly dismissing the rest of the jounin-sensei in attendance.

Xi left the room snickering at the chaos he had caused, before he disappeared to find his fuuinjutsu instructor. One can never learn too many different things.

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

Later that night

* * *

'Well, I was hoping that the Kyuubi brat wouldn't be good enough to pass, but apparently he was. I'll just have to steal the scroll for Madara-sama's eternal glory myself.' Mizuki Umino, younger brother of Iruka Umino, cackled as he sped off through the night towards the Hokage Tower, intent on finding the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing for his master.

* * *

Somewhere inside Training Ground 44

* * *

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Hinata-chan?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounded like some crazy guy was running past the entrance while laughing."

"My bugs detected it as well."

"Shino, you shouldn't rely on your hive too much. Overreliance on any one technique will only lead to your own downfall."

"Yes, sensei."

Xi stood up from their stargazing platform atop the trees, before stretching his back. "Well, might as well go see what that was about. Follow me." Xi then proceeded to dive headfirst back down through the trees, with his students following soon after.

* * *

12:01 A.M., just outside the walls of Konoha

* * *

Mizuki leaned against a tree to rest shortly in his flight from the authorities of Konoha. His respite was extremely brief, however, as a voice in the semi-darkness startled him back to his feet.

"Hello, Umino-san. I wasn't expecting to see you up so early for a morning jog. Especially not with such a large scroll that looks suspiciously similar to the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing attached to your back. It makes it look as though you're trying to defect from good ol' Konoha with a priceless artifact that cannot under any circumstances fall into enemy hands. If that were indeed the case, it would certainly be a shame if somebody took that scroll from you."

Mizuki looked around for the source of the voice, before finally looking up into the branches of the tree above him. The white-clad figure contained therein waved, before speaking again, gesturing to the Scroll as he did so.

"It would also be a great shame indeed if someone were to go so far as to switch the scroll out with a fake that was covered in explosive tags while I was busy talking with you. Well, mostly for you, since you'd be the one who would get blown up."

Mizuki twisted around, before throwing away the scroll covered in sizzling explosive tags with a small curse, after which it was promptly picked up by a familiar orange-clad, blond-haired ninja.

The genjutsu showing the explosive tags faded, and the Number One Unpredictable Knuckleheaded Ninja disappeared into the branches as Xi shouted after him, "Only the first technique! The Hokage said he would let you learn that one at some point anyway, so save him the trouble and learn it yourself now!"

Mizuki growled at being duped by a young boy, and then growled even louder at the "come at me" gesture given by the one who had found him.

* * *

In a clearing, just outside Konoha

* * *

"Alright, let's try one more time. Handsigns, focus chakra, and—"

"Naruto! What are you doing?"

Naruto looked across the clearing to see Iruka standing there with a shocked and yet somehow also disapproving look on his face.

"Oh, hi there Iruka-sensei! I was just waiting for somebody to show up so I could get this scroll back to the village. It would look really bad on my resume if some unknown person stole the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing in the middle of the night, and then I came back into the village with it without being one of the people officially sent out to find it, don't you think?"

Iruka opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, the blond continued.

"But anyway, I figured 'Hey, I've got some time; why don't I learn some stuff from this scroll while I'm waiting for somebody to show up?' Which I did! I've learnt all about the Kage Bunshin and I think I've almost figured it out, too! How about—get down!" Naruto tackled Iruka to the ground as a giant shuriken whizzed past.

"It's rather impressive for someone as young as you to have noticed and dodged in time," a distinctly female voice called out through the night. Iruka turned to see Tsubaki, his sister-in-law, gazing down at the two with an insane smile. "Hello, Iruka-kun, It's been a while since we talked. But reminiscing together can wait for now."

Then, with lightning-quick speed, Tsubaki proceeded to jump down to Iruka, give him a chakra powered punch to the gut that sent him flying out of the clearing, and whack Naruto over the back of the head to immobilize him. She waltzed toward the downed blond ninja, before whispering in his ear, "Do you know why everyone hates you, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto moaned and shook his head, before sitting up against the tree he was near. "No, Tsubaki-san, I don't know," Naruto began, before continuing in a mocking voice, "Why don't you tell me?"

Tsubaki jumped back, pulling out another one of her giant shuriken and winding up a throw. "On the day you were born, the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked our village, and the Yondaime sealed it into you! But we all know that the seal failed, and that the Fox took over! Naruto, everybody hates you because YOU ARE THE KYUUBI!" The last words of her monologue were spoken in a roar of rage as the shuriken she had starting whistling from the speed it was spinning. "NOW DI—"

Naruto interrupted her insane rant with a chuckle that turned into a full-blown laugh. "Kurama-nee? They're angry because they think I'm Kurama-nee? Oh, that is rich, Tsubaki-san! As if I could ever be Kurama-nee. Do I even look like a big red fox with nine tails and crazy spiky hair? I mean, I have spiky hair, sure, but I don't even have one tail, let alone NINE. Also, I'm not a girl, and my chakra control sucks because of the seal that you were talking about earlier. Kurama-nee has great chakra control and she's a GIRL, something that you idiots can't seem to understand. But really? Me as Kurama-nee? I don't think so! In fact—"

"Just shut up and die, demon!" interrupted Tsubaki as she threw her shuriken at the still chatting blond. Naruto tried to stand up to dodge it, but he still couldn't move from the blow to the head. Finally, as he saw it whirling towards him, Naruto closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

"No! Naruto-kun!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Mizuki

* * *

"Ah, yes gentlemen—" a cough from the back of the search group "—and lady, I was wondering when you would show up for him."

Xi turned around, gesturing to a huge cocoon of wire hanging from a branch.

"That right there, lady and gentlemen, is Mizuki Umino, traitor to Konoha, secret follower of a cult of Madara Uchiha worshippers, and really, really bad liar and fighter. I see now why you put him on teaching duty with his brother instead of keeping him out on the front lines."

"Thank you, Hayashi-san, we shall take it from here."

"You are most welcome. Now, I need to go find my students before one of them blows something up again." This statement was followed by a huge chakra spike and a plume of smoke rising from deeper in the forest, eliciting a facepalm from Xi. "I knew that just had to happen just as soon as I said it, but no, I still said it." He turned to the team cutting the Mizuki-cocoon off of the branch, and bowed.

"I'll go fix that."

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

Back with Tsubaki, right after we left earlier

* * *

"No! Naruto-kun!"

Naruto opened his eyes to see Hinata standing in front of him, with one of the shuriken's blades protruding from her back, having impaled her directly through her stomach.

Naruto turned towards Tsubaki with malice in his eyes. "You… you hurt Hinata-chan…"

Tsubaki's eyes widened at hearing that name. 'Crap! That's the Hyuuga clan heiress! I just threw a giant shuriken through the Hyuuga clan heiress's freaking stomach! Hiashi-sama is going to kill me!'

Naruto's eyes turned golden with slitted pupils as he continued speaking. "You hurt Hinata-chan… so I guess I'll have to KILL YOU!"

As Naruto spoke the last two words, golden chakra erupted from his body, before he vanished in a burst of speed, pulling off a stunt similar to another blond shinobi's signature teleportation technique. Then, after throwing Tsubaki all around the clearing with a few heavy, speed-enhanced punches, Naruto stopped, forming his hands into a cross-shaped handsign while shouting, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

As the smoke generated by the technique cleared, 'Aw crap,' was the only thought that went through Tsubaki's mind before the army of blond clones pounded her into the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Office

* * *

Danzo turned off the large projector showing the current events concerning Naruto, before turning to the assembled Council of Konoha. "So," he began. "Can I convince you that he is not a demon? He just defended the Hyuuga clan heiress for no other reason than she was his friend, and also aided in the defeat of not one, but two traitors to Konoha. Furthermore, he has aided in safely returning the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing despite not ever being assigned to that task. Oh yes, did I also mention that he did this despite being only a genin fresh out of the Academy?"

Danzo paused in thought, before snapping his fingers. "Ah! That's what I was forgetting! Kaji!"

The aforementioned ANBU member appeared next to Danzo, saluting him along with a questioning, "Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"Get a medic out to wherever Naruto just was and keep the Hyuuga heiress from dying. That would be a Bad Thing, especially at this juncture."

Kaji saluted again, saying "It will be done," before vanishing again.

"Oh, and can somebody get me a cappuccino? All this unexpected action is making me tired."

* * *

Back with Naruto

* * *

"Naruto-san, you may stop now, the threat has been neutralized."

Naruto continued to pound Tsubaki's face into the ground with his clone army, not even hearing or just outright ignoring Shino's protests. With a thought, Shino sent out his kikaichu towards the army of clones, intent on draining them into submission if need be.

'To take a page from Shikamaru's book, how troublesome.'

* * *

Thirty-seven seconds later

* * *

Thirty-seven seconds later, Xi arrived at the scene of the beating to find one of his students on the ground unconscious from chakra exhaustion, one on the ground unconscious from blood loss with a giant shuriken sticking out of her, and one on the ground unconscious from sheer boredom and sleep deprivation. Bottom line was, they were all unconscious, as well as the bloody—yet still breathing—mess that was Tsubaki lying in the middle of the clearing.

"Well… I get the feeling I've missed something rather important here."

* * *

Day of genin team assignments

* * *

"Good morning, graduating class!"

"GOOD MORNING IRUKA-SENSEI!" came the chorused—and extremely loud—reply of the class.

After shaking the ringing out of his ears, Iruka continued his small speech with, "Now, today is a day I'm sure you've all been waiting for, the day that your genin teams are announced!"

A few half-hearted cheers sounded from around the room, causing Iruka to sweatdrop at the sudden lack of enthusiasm. "Now, Team One will be…"

As was usual, everyone pretty much tuned out the team assignments until their name or the name of someone they wanted to be on a team with had their name called.

"Team Seven will be Kiba Inuzuka…"

'Please not me, please not me…' was the thought of a certain pink-haired bansh— I mean, ninja.

"…Sakura Haruno…"

"Crap."

"Yes!"

"…and Sasuke Uchiha. You jounin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."

"Yes!"

"Crap."

"Hn."

Iruka shook his head at their antics, before continuing with the team placements. "Team Eight will be Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. Your jounin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi."

"Meh, expected as much."

"What? I'm stuck with Lazy and Chubby?"

"Calm down, Ino. (nom nom) I'm sure that it can't (nom nom) be all that bad working together. Our dads (nom nom) did just fine, so why can't (nom nom) we?"

Again shaking his head at the antics of the new teams, Iruka continued again. "Now, since Team Nine is still active, we'll move on to Team Ten, which will be Naruto Uzumaki, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga. Your jounin sensei will be… um… somebody going by the name Hayashi. Sorry, I don't know them."

The only sign that Shino was surprised was a slight widening of his eyes, conveniently hidden by his sunglasses. Hinata and Naruto, however, both had looks of complete horror on their face.

Hinata managed to stammer out, "H-h-he's a jounin sensei now?"

After receiving a confused nod from Iruka, Naruto stood up and proclaimed to the class, "It has been nice knowing you all, but I'm afraid that I will not make it to tomorrow from our sensei's training program now that he has the entire day to work with us. Goodbye, everyone, we'll see you on the other side."

After Naruto's moving speech, the entirety of the new Team Ten trudged out the door to find some lunch before they entered Hell on Earth, a phenomenon also known as their new training regimen under their sensei.

Thirty-two minutes later, after lunch

The door to the classroom opened, and a person dressed in the standard jounin garb entered the room. He pulled a cigarette out of his mouth, blew out a little smoke, and said, "Team Eight. You're with me."

He then left the room with his slightly dysfunctional team, before a veritable flood of other jounin sensei appeared in the room to get their teams.

Two and a half hours later

Naruto woke with a start from his place on the desk. For some reason, their sensei still had not arrived, but his 'danger sense' was going off in the way it did when he was around and hidden. Naruto looked around not seeing any sign of his sensei, before nudging Hinata awake.

"Hinata-chan. Hinata-chan, wake up!"

Hinata blearily opened her left eye and said stubbornly yet somehow monotonously, "No. I'm asleep right now. I don't care that sensei's watching us, I can sense him too. Go away," and promptly fell asleep again.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head, before glancing over towards the members of Team Seven. A thought began to form in his head, before he chuckled and walked over to Shino. He began speaking to him in a low whisper.

"Hey, Shino."

"Yes, Naruto-san?"

"Do you have the supplies?"

Shino's eyebrow quirked up at this statement, but he wordlessly handed over the Bag. Naruto chuckled in anticipation, and began rummaging through the ridiculously small bag, pulling out impossible amounts of items from within. He then set up the elaborate rig, before handing a single wire to his long-time arch-nemesis, Sasuke Uchiha, with a short, "Here, hold this."

Twenty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds later, the rig was fully set up, with Naruto back in his chair, feigning sleep, although he discreetly woke Hinata up to see his prank in action.

Exactly three hours after Asuma had arrived, Kakashi Hatake opened the door to the room, promptly dodging the catapult-launched erasers full of itching powder that action had triggered.

He did not, however, manage to dodge the bucket of water that had been leaning atop the door, nor did he manage to dodge the second volley of itching-powder-filled erasers. After those connected with his torso in various locations, a cup tipped over, spilling marbles across the floor, which the jounin slipped on, causing the bucket to all off of his head.

He sat up to see the six genin in the room laughing at him, even the ever-stoic Sasuke and Shino. He also saw Sasuke holding onto a wire that went up among the rafters. Kakashi glared at him, assuming that he was at least an accomplice to whoever had done this, if not the prankster himself. Sasuke quickly released the line as if it had burned him, not wanting to seem involved with it in any way, unknowingly setting off the last part of the trap, a large bucket of bird droppings dumping over Kakashi's entire body, with the bucket landing on his head.

Although muffled by the bucket, everyone in the room could still hear him say, "Well, my first impression of you three… is that you all are annoying. Especially tall, dark, and broody over there. Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

With a swirl of leaves, the lazy cyclopean jounin disappeared from the room to clean up, before his team quickly left as well.

As soon as Team Seven had completely left the room, a piece of paper appeared on the desk in front of each of the members of Team Ten, each bearing the same message:

"Be at the usual meeting place in under a minute, or you're running ten extra laps."

* * *

It took everybody about ten seconds to process this, before Shino disappeared from the room in a burst of speed. Hinata and Naruto followed as fast as they could after Shino, but still only barely made it there, with less than a second to spare. Shino, of course, was already there, being the fastest of the three, as was their sensei.

"Ah, hello everyone! How nice of you three to join me! I was hoping that it would take you longer so that I could have you run those extra laps before the test."

"Forgive me for asking, sensei, but what test? I was under the impression that we had completed the examinations to become genin."

"Well, yes and no, Shino. That test was to see if you had the potential to be a genin. This test is to see whether you are up to the challenge of being a genin. Basically, what I need you to do is…"

The team leaned in to hear him better, but he quickly placed a limb on the forehead of each.

"…TAG! You're all it! If you catch me, you can be a genin! If you can't, five more years of Academy!"

Their sensei quickly disappeared into the trees, with them blinking in surprise. 'Our final exam… is a game of tag?' was the unanimous thought of the three genin, which Naruto voiced.

"We're playing tag? In the middle of the Forest? AS AN EXAM?"


End file.
